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About our products

Are your computers just regular PCs?

Yes, kind of.

Our fit-PC3s, fit-PC4s and Intense PCs are energy-efficient desktop PCs, designed to run Windows or Linux, and we sell these with monitors, keyboards, mice and speakers. And they’re perfect for all office, retail or classroom applications.

However, our ALIX, APU and net servers are not regular PCs. Although they are PC compatible, they generally don’t have anywhere to plug in a screen or a keyboard, and they’re not designed to run Windows. So you wouldn’t normally use them to write documents or browse the Internet.

On the other hand, if you (or someone) want to build a firewall, a router, a wireless access point or a server, then the rest of our hardware is perfect for the job.

And although a cheap router or wireless access point may cost less, our hardware is incredibly more flexible and powerful because it can run Unix or Linux or BSD, etc which means that you (or someone) can program it to do almost anything.

And it’s less expensive, more attractive and heaps smaller, quieter and more reliable than a regular beige-box PC.

Do you sell any PC/104 gear?

No, the computers we sell are not PC/104 form factor.

Although our single board computers are not stackable, most come with the option of adding expansion cards via miniPCI and/or PCI, and can support compact flash and/or 2.5″ hard drives. Multiport LAN cards are also available.

Our boards are all small and very robust making them suitable for use in an industrial environment.

Can you sell me a board without the case?

Please note that if you buy a board without a case, it will need to be housed in a suitable metal enclosure, in order to comply with Australian Communications and Media Authority (ACMA) emissions regulations.

What is C-Tick compliance?

Anyone who imports equipment into Australia is considered to be the manufacturer by the ACMA and is therefore responsible for ensuring that the equipment complies with the relevant Australian standards for electromagnetic interference (EMI).

We are registered with the ACMA as an importer/manufacturer of equipment and all our ALIX, net, fit-PC2 and miniPCI products come with the required C-Tick labelling to indicate compliance with Australian regulations.

We also complete the required ‘Declaration of Conformity’ paperwork for each product.

It is illegal for us to sell equipment that does not bear a C-Tick label, and it is also illegal for us to C-Tick label equipment that has not been tested against the applicable standards.

All of our hardware also complies with FCC (USA) and European regulations.

What’s the difference between an unregulated and a regulated power supply?

Basically, the output voltage of a regulated power supply stays very close to its nominated level (e.g. 12V) over a wide range of current loads.

In other words, no matter what you plug into it, provided you don’t overload it, it will deliver the specified voltage.

In contrast, the output voltage of an unregulated power supply can vary widely, depending on the current load.

In particular, for low current loads, it may output a voltage that is significantly higher than its nominal value, which can be bad for sensitive electronic equipment.

Most of our SBC motherboards can cope with a range of voltages, typically around 10-18V, so using an unregulated power supply should not generally be a problem (please check the specifications for your particular board).

Because the circuitry of regulated power supplies is more complex, they tend to be more expensive than unregulated power supplies, although they are often lighter and smaller.

Regulated power supplies also tend to output better quality (smoother) DC than unregulated power supplies.

In the case of our power supplies, our 12V 1.5A, 12V 2.5A and 18V 1A regulated power supplies can fit side-by-side in a powerboard, unlike they typically bulky unregulated power supply, which can be important when space is at a premium.

Our regulated power supplies also happen to output 18W (or more), so they are a better option when more power is required, such as with Power over Ethernet (PoE).

Can I use the CM9 miniPCI wireless card in my laptop?

The CM9 is a miniPCI type 3B wireless card and should fit into any laptop with a miniPCI slot. Please check with your laptop’s manufacturer for compatibility with your particular laptop and to obtain the necessary drivers.

What’s wrong with my display on my Windows 7 / Windows XP fit-PC2?

If you’re using a VGA adapter on a Windows XP unit, you’ll need to use the IEGD display driver, not the GMA500 driver that comes with it by default.

You might also want to check that your unit is not in ‘multi-monitor’ mode. This can prevent you from accessing the stated maximum resolution of 1920 x 1080. This can be changed via the display settings in Windows 7.

ALIX / net servers

What size Compact Flash card should I use with the Voyage / m0n0wall / pfSense®
/ Rident
image?

Well, that depends on which operating system image you’re using, and whether you’re downloading it from our OS images page, or getting it pre-installed by us.

Operating system

Downloaded image

Pre-installed image

pfSense®
or Rident

Doesn’t allow you to write to the CF card, so choose the smallest card that will fit the image size e.g. 4GB

m0n0wall

Doesn’t allow you to write to the CF card, so choose the smallest card that will fit the image size e.g. 4GB (or 256MB if you have one)

Voyage Linux

Has been created on a specific size CF card, so choose a CF card to match e.g. 2GBNote: There will be space left on the CF card for writing files

Can be installed on any CF card that is at least as big as the image size e.g. 2GB or largerNote: There will be space left on the CF card for writing files

If you see nothing, check your settings, the power supply or your cable.

4. Start playing!

Why do I get garbage when I connect to the serial console?

The short answer is, your terminal settings need to be changed.

Now for the long answer.

The factory default terminal speed is 38400 baud for the ALIX board, 19200 baud for the net5501 and net6501 boards and 115200 baud for the APU boards.

In addition, each operating system image has a particular terminal speed built into the kernel. In the case of OpenBSD, Voyage Linux and monowall, the default terminal speeds should match the factory default settings for the ALIX and net boards. However, some operating system images, including the pfSense®
system, have a default terminal speed of 9600 baud.

If the terminal speeds of your terminal emulator, your board or your operating system image don’t match, then you’ll see garbage on the console when you power up.

What you need to do to fix it, depends on where you see the garbage.

A. If you get garbage immediately on power-up, you’ll need to do the following:

Set your terminal emulator speed to match the factory default setting for the board

If you’re using hyperterminal, you actually need to close the connection to change terminal speeds, even if it tells you otherwise (learned that one the hard way).

If you still get garbage, it’s possible that someone has already changed the terminal speed on the board, so you’ll have to figure out the correct terminal speed by trial and error.

Unfortunately with the ALIX, net5501 and net6501, pretty much any standard speed is possible. Happy hunting!

B. If you get garbage after the BIOS self-test, then your emulator is set to the correct board terminal speed but not to the same as the operating system kernel.

To fix this:

Change the board terminal speed in the BIOS to match the operating system terminal speed

Set your terminal emulator speed to match the operating system terminal speed

Reboot the machine

C. Garbage at other times might be caused by inconsistent terminal settings within your operating system image, which generally doesn’t occur in practice, or by other problems with your software.

D. If you get nothing at all when you connect to the console, it’s worth checking that your null modem cable is working properly, by plugging it into something else that has a console, such as another ALIX or net board, a router, or a PC on which you’ve configured a console.

E. If you get garbage on our website, well then it’s just your lucky day!